Take for example the Georg Jensen silver pieces recently sold on auction at Christie’s. A Danish silver six-piece tea and coffee service set went for $27, 500. And a Danish silver flatware set was sold for $50,000.

Jensen’s naturalistic silver designs took their cues from the aesthetics of the Arts & Crafts and Art Nouveau movements, and his stylized fruit and floral motifs reinvented new shapes for established silver forms. The Blossom pattern is one of the most classic examples of the early Jensen style and can be found in the tea and coffee service and Blossom pattern silver flatware.

Georg Jensen also employed several skilled silversmiths and designers to work with him. Among the most celebrated of these designers was Johan Rohde, who joined in 1917 and is perhaps best known today for designing the Acorn pattern flatware. In contrast to Jensen’s work, Rohde’s was more spare in its use of ornament, illustrated by his incredibly sleek silver pitcher designed in 1920 and considered an iconic 20th century silver design. His pieces show less interest in naturalism, instead finding inspiration in historical styles, as demonstrated by the Acanthus pattern flatware which draws upon a classical vocabulary. A classic fish dish, one of few to feature a fish on the mazarine, epitomizes Rohde’s talent for stylized forms.

Remember to always seek out a professional San Diego silver buyer if you ever on the possession of a set of precious silverware like those made by Georg Jensen.

We reported last month how watch auctions were setting records, but not so with a recent jewelry auction at Sotheby’s in Switzerland. Nearly 150 jewels including the star lot, a huge blue diamond, were left unsold, as nervous buyers held back amid uncertainty in world markets, the auction house said.

“I think had we been having this sale six months ago, it would have been a very different story,” said David Bennett, as quoted by Reuters. “Clearly the market is in transition and like all markets in transition, people stand back to see what is going to happen,” he added. “People aren’t flooding into the stock market because they can’t see a pattern. I think it was the same thing here.”

One of the surprise no-sales was the Lesotho I, a 71.73 carat light brown diamond mounted on a ring by U.S. jewelry Harry Winston. “It has to wait for another year,” Bennett told the crowd after the huge and historic stone, which had been forecast to fetch 3.3 million-5.6 million francs, stalled at 2.5 million.

The best result of the auction was a pink diamond ring of 8.02 carats was bought for nearly $1.33 million. A pearl necklace with a clasp set with a large emerald surrounded by diamonds brought the same price. Another highlight was a round 11.70 carat Golconda diamond, set in a ring by the American Paris-based jeweler known as JAR (Joel Arthur Rosenthal), which sold for 1.2 million francs to a London-based dealer.

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Do you have some silver flatware that you are looking to sell in San Diego? Well, before you head down to that pawn shop be sure to read: Tips for Selling Used Flatware.

Here are your top 5 tips to remember before selling your silver flatware in San Diego.

1) Identify whether it actually is made of sterling silver, and not just silver plated. If it is genuine sterling silver flatware, the word “sterling” will be on the flatware. That is, unless it is an antique manufactured prior to 1860.

2) Identify the maker, era, and any patterns; then go online and research the popularity of each. Collectors often focus only one particular kind of item. So you need to know if your flatware falls into an in-demand niche.

3) Don’t be overly concerned about signs of use. Slight damage on antique flatware does not significantly reduce its value. If the silverware is tarnished though be sure to have the tarnish removed, as tarnish will significantly lower the price. If any of your flatware pieces have been modified that will also lower the price.

4) Beware of forgeries. Just because your silver flatware is old, doesn’t mean that it is authentic or worth a lot of money. Forged maker’s marks have been appearing for hundreds of year.

5) Before selling your silver flatware, polish it with a soft polishing cloth and a non-abrasive polish. Wear cotton gloves and dry your flatware as soon as possible after cleaning. Don’t put your silverware in the dishwasher!

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Now that you’ve learned a few tips about selling silver flatware in San Diego, it would probably be a good idea to read this article: How San Diego Pawn Shops Work.